Evelyn’s POV
For hours, I worked alongside Gary and the dical team, adjusting dications and monitoring Alexis’s responses. Her fever stayed dangerously high despite our efforts. Each ti her body seized with another flare-up, my heart stopped.
Around 3 AM, her condition finally began to stabilize. The fever dropped slightly, and her breathing beca more regular. I collapsed into a chair by her bed, exhausted but unwilling to leave her side.
Calvin approached cautiously, offering a cup of coffee. "The boys finally fell asleep in your office. How is she?"
"Stable for now." I took the coffee gratefully. "But it’s always like this. She improves, then relapses. Over and over."
"I didn’t realize..." He sat beside , his eyes on Alexis. "She seems so healthy most of the ti."
"That’s how it works with her condition. She can go weeks or even months without symptoms, then suddenly..." I gestured helplessly at the machines surrounding her.
Calvin was quiet for a mont. "You know, you’re amazing with her. The way you switched into doctor mode while still being her mother..."
"I’ve had plenty of practice," I said bitterly. "More than any mother should."
"It’s not your fault, Evelyn."
The gentleness in his voice nearly broke . "Of course it is. She inherited this from ."
"You can’t control genetics."
Calvin’s eyes never left Alexis’s face. "She’s strong. Like you."
I stared at him, surprised.
"I an it," he continued. "I’ve seen how she faces everything with courage. That cos from you."
Before I could respond, Alexis stirred, her eyelids fluttering. I was imdiately at her side.
"Hey, sweetheart," I whispered when her eyes opened. "How do you feel?"
"Tired," she mumbled. "My head hurts."
"I know, baby. We’re giving you dicine to help."
She noticed Calvin standing behind . "Hi," she said weakly.
"Hello, little warrior," he replied softly. "You gave us quite a scare."
"Sorry." Her eyes drifted closed again.
Calvin nodded. "I’ll check on the boys."
For the rest of the night, we kept silent vigil. At dawn, Rowan and Rhys ca to sit with their sister. Alexis was awake enough to smile at them.
"You guys stayed?" she asked in surprise.
Rhys nodded solemnly. "Of course we did. You’re our sister."
"We were worried," Rowan added, patting her hand awkwardly.
Watching the three of them together, I felt both love and despair. They had ford such a beautiful bond. Yet here we were again, in a dical setting, with Alexis suffering.
As morning wore on, I sent Calvin and the boys ho to rest. "I’ll call if anything changes," I promised.
Once they left, Gary approached with the latest test results. "The immune suppression drugs are working, but slowly. Her body is fighting our treatnt."
I studied the numbers, a terrible realization dawning. "It’s getting worse each ti, isn’t it?"
Gary hesitated. "Her body’s reaction is stronger than her last episode, yes."
I sank back into my chair, watching Alexis’s chest rise and fall. How long before her body couldn’t fight anymore? How many more episodes could she survive?
My eyes drifted to the tablet on the nearby counter. The one containing our breakthrough research from yesterday. The Wolf Instinct Suppression Reversal project. Technology designed to reconnect dormant wolf with their hosts.
What if...
No. It was too risky. The technology was still in early trials. We’d never tested it on soone as young as Alexis, especially with her severe condition.
But what if her condition wasn’t about lacking a wolf, but about a wolf that was completely suppressed? What if her genetic makeup wasn’t rejecting wolf genes but failing to connect with them properly?
I picked up the tablet, scrolling through our research. The Stellaris Moonbane Root could target those connection points. If Alexis had such blockage points...
Gary noticed my focus. "Evelyn? What are you thinking?"
"Nothing," I said quickly. "Just reviewing research."
But as I sat through another night by Alexis’s bedside, watching her struggle through fevered dreams, a desperate plan began forming.
I had spent my career helping others reconnect with their wolf. But I had never tried to awaken my own dormant wolf. The one I’d been told since childhood didn’t exist.
What if both Alexis and I weren’t truly "Wolfless" Ogas but werewolves with wolves so deeply suppressed they couldn’t be detected?
The theory was radical. Dangerous.
If I was wrong, using the experintal therapy on myself could cause permanent damage. Or worse.
But looking at my daughter, pale and fragile in her hospital bed, I knew I had to try. If it worked for , it might work for her too.
I made my decision. I would beco my own first trial.
For Alexis, I would risk everything.
***
"Tomorrow morning, I will undergo the Wolf Instinct Suppression Reversal procedure," I said calmly. "I’ve already prepared the necessary modifications to the protocol based on my dical history."
The conference room fell silent. Multiple pairs of eyes stared at in disbelief.
Gary was the first to recover. He shot to his feet so quickly his chair nearly toppled.
"Have you completely lost your mind?" His voice cracked. "The simulation success rate is barely 50 percent, Evelyn! And that’s just theoretical data!"
I t his gaze steadily. "I’m well aware of the statistics."
"Are you? Because what you’re proposing is clinical suicide! We haven’t even completed any live trials!"
I couldn’t help but smile slightly. "I also don’t have much to lose. I’ve been a wolfless Oga my entire life. Besides, aren’t you all brilliant dical minds? Surely you can keep alive if sothing goes wrong."
Emma stepped forward. "Boss, you’re always the one lecturing us about risk managent and patient safety," she said quietly. "You make us triple-check protocols before we even consider human trials. This risk is unacceptably high."
Murmurs of agreent rippled through the room. Another researcher cleared his throat.
"We should wait for more data and recruit volunteers with less severe conditions first," he insisted. "Build up the success rate before attempting cases like yours."
I let them talk, understanding their concern. These people weren’t just my employees. They were my friends. My chosen family. Of course they were worried.
"I appreciate your concern," I said softly. "But Alexis can’t wait. She’s just a little girl, and she’s getting worse with each episode. I can’t watch her spend her entire childhood in hospital beds."
The silence that followed was heavy. Everyone in that room had watched Alexis grow up. They’d seen her brave smile during treatnts. Heard her laughing in the halls between hospital stays.
"If the procedure works on ," I continued, "it could save her. I need to know if dormant wolves can truly be awakened."
Gary slumped back into his chair. Caught between frustration and resignation.
"You’re going to do this no matter what we say, aren’t you?" he asked.
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